Govt must take bigger role in climate debate - engineers

AAP Newswire
Thursday 13/9/2007

Australia needs to take a major leadership role in the climate change debate or risk jeopardising the country's future sustainable development, a report released today says. Engineers Australia says the federal government should ratify the Kyoto Protocol before or at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Bali in December, as well as set emissions targets. It says while the Kyoto Protocol has its defects, it and the UNFCCC initiative are at present the only comprehensive international mechanisms aiming for focused global action on climate change.

While the Sydney Declaration went some way to demonstrate Australia's leadership - within the constraints of the diplomatic reality of APEC - it failed to provide tangible examples of Australia's bona fides, Engineers Australia chief executive Peter Taylor says. He says Australia should shoulder responsibility for its share of the reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions needed to stabilise the world's climate.

"Australia should use its influence in international affairs to encourage early agreement on global action," Mr Taylor said. "Australia needs a robust national climate stabilisation policy which is supported by all governments and all political parties." The policy must include interim and long-term emissions targets and a robust emissions trading scheme, he said.

"We now that global warming is real, and we also know that arresting the impact of global warming depends on a mix of options that must include energy demand reduction and investing dramatically in renewable energy options," Mr Taylor said. "While Australian economic growth is highly dependent on exports of energy and energy intensive commodities, it is in our long-term interest to position Australia to not only lead with climate mitigation actions, but also to be well prepared to minimise the impacts of climate change on the Australian community."